Snow depth is measured at the port of Kokkola

The Port of Kokkola is a large complex of three ports with many passageways and fields that need to be plowed during the winter months. Reliable measurement of plowing needs is important both for winter maintenance in the area and economically.

As part of the TAKOMO project, which focuses on environmental monitoring at the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius, two snow depth measuring devices were installed in the Port of Kokkola area. One of the devices is a Lufft SMH31 laser measuring device and the other is a Decentlab DL-MBX ultrasonic measuring device. Both devices have proven to be reliable in our tests during previous winters.

Ultrasound devices measure the distance to an object by sending out ultrasonic waves that are reflected back to the device from the object being measured. The device calculates the distance based on the sound waves and the speed of sound. Decentlab's ultrasonic meter collects 15 distance readings (samples) for each measurement. It discards all incorrect readings from these samples and calculates the most reliable value (median), which is reported as the result. This measurement method increases the reliability of the measurement, especially during snowstorms.

Laser devices measure the distance to the target by sending a laser pulse, and then measuring the time it takes to travel between the target and the device. Lufft's SMH31 device has various heating fut. The devices are being tested at the Port of Kokkola, as there is a need to measure snow depth at several different locations in the area. If the devices are suitable for the port's needs, they will purchase their own devices for measuring snow depth on roofs, for example.
nctions that enable measurement in different weather conditions. Laser devices are significantly more expensive than ultrasonic devices.

The devices operate continuously and send measurement data to the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius' database via the LoRa radio network. The measuring devices were placed at the southern and northern ends of the Port of Kokkola. Lufft's device measures the roadway directly, so that the snow depth decreases as the road is plowed. This makes it easy to monitor snow accumulation on the road. Decentlab's device, on the other hand, measures snow accumulation cumulatively and on a daily basis in places where snow is not plowed.

An alarm limit was set for snow accumulation, and when this limit is exceeded, an automatic message is sent to the Kokkola port managemen